“The Liebster Award is an award that exists only on the internet and is given to bloggers by other bloggers, whose work they find interesting, to motivate them and promote them as well. The earliest case of the award goes as far back as 2011. Liebster in German means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.”

“Liebster award is an award for bloggers from bloggers. In this award, fellow bloggers nominate a blogger especially when he/she is new. This type of awards gives a nice kick to an upcoming bloggers career. It boosts his/her morale. It also provides the much-needed recognition to an aspiring blogger.”

SO COOL! I think the idea behind the Liebster is so lovely, and I’m thrilled to get a nod from two bloggers whose writing I love. THANK YOU!!!

UPDATE: Just a few minutes ago I got a third nomination, from Dr. Tanya at Salted Caramel. I am overwhelmed with excitement right now. I’ve added a few of her questions to my Q&A section.

Here’s how it works:

Create a new blog post on your blog thanking the person that nominated you, link to their blog and put in a graphic of the award.

Answer the questions that were provided, and then share some facts about yourself.

Create a new set of your own questions for others to answer.

Nominate 5-11 others and share your blog post with them so they can accept their awards

When I looked at the questions provided by Dee and LaRena, I realized this is also a great opportunity to talk about a few things I was considering including in future posts, so this is a total win. I’ve picked out a mix of questions from the two nomination posts. So here goes:

What makes you passionate about blogging?

I used to write a lot. Fiction, essays, reflections, reviews…a little bit of everything, really. I even won a few contests and submitted some things for publication. Then somewhere along the line I just…stopped. With the exception of my journal, I didn’t write anything for years. For a variety of reasons, I recently decided I wanted to try writing again, and a blog seemed like a great way to get started. It’s been awesome! I’m feeling more motivated, more creative, and I’m getting to know some amazing people.

If you could use someone else’s brain for the day whose would you choose?

My mother’s. She is a naturally warm, open, and engaging person who draws others to her and effortlessly forms connections. I would love to have an inside perspective on how she constantly brightens peoples’ days.

Name your best holiday experience, by that I mean relaxing, adventure or something else?

I took a trip to China some years back, sort of on a whim. Well, I had lots of time to prepare for the trip, but I booked it on a whim. It’s the only time I’ve ever taken an expensive, unconventional vacation, and it was incredible. I would love to go back.

If you could learn a different language in a day which would you choose and why?

Spanish, because I interact with a lot of Spanish speakers and would really like to be able to converse with them more easily. I’ve actually been trying to learn some Spanish, but so far I’m not especially good at it.

What is/was your favorite subject in high school?

English. I’m sure that surprises no one.

In general, are you satisfied with your life?

Yes. I love my job, I have an amazing family and wonderful friends, and I’m in a secure position financially. I am very blessed. I used to be very unhappy, but I made the decision to focus on the positive and make efforts to change the things that made me unhappy. That led me to buy a house, go to graduate school, change my diet, and so on. When I start to feel down, I always ask myself, “What can I do about it?”

What is your philosophy in life?

Did you Participate in a scientific competition and what was it about?

My school had a science fair and competition for grades 1-8. The projects were fun, and I was a super competitive kid, so I looked forward to it each year.

If money was no object where would you travel in the world?

That would be a really tough call. I would like to go back to China, but maybe I should take the opportunity to see something else. Could I do a European tour? That’s cheating, isn’t it. Um…I’m going to go with Ireland, because I have several friends who have been there and raved about the experience.

If you were a superhero, which power would you like to have?

I would like to be able to freeze time, because there’s always so much I want to accomplish.

Hi Amanda, it’s great to ‘meet’ you. Congrats on all the award nominations! Also, Spanish is a really fun language to learn. I used to know enough Spanish to have broken conversations with native Spanish speakers, although I’ve fallen out of practice lately. But if you’re looking for someone to practice with, I’d be happy to help.

Great to “meet” you, too, Josh!
I have a coworker who is fluent in Spanish, and he’s been working with me. He thinks part of my problem is that I studied French for so many years, and I’m getting my languages jumbled.